Liquid ejecting apparatus and head unit

ABSTRACT

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a signal modulation section that causes an original drive signal to be pulse-modulated to generate a modulation signal, a signal amplification section that amplifies the modulation signal to generate an amplification modulation signal, a coil that smooths the amplification modulation signal to generate a drive signal, a piezoelectric element that deforms when the drive signal is applied thereto, a cavity that expands or contracts due to a deformation of the piezoelectric element, and a nozzle that communicates with the cavity and ejects a liquid in accordance with an increase/decrease of a pressure inside the cavity. The coil is a ferrite core-type coil, and a core gap is provided to be equal to or wider than 1.1 mm.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-178971,filed Aug. 30, 2013 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus and a headunit which apply a drive signal to an actuator to eject a liquid. Forexample, the invention is suitable for a liquid ejecting-type printingapparatus which ejects a minute liquid from a nozzle of a liquidejecting head and forms a minute particle (dot) on a printing medium,thereby printing a predetermined character or an image.

2. Related Art

As an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, there is a known ink jetprinter which ejects an ink (liquid) toward a recording medium from anozzle provided in a head. Generally, a nozzle row having multiplenozzles arranged in a predetermined direction is formed in the head, forexample, there is a known serial head method in which the headrelatively moves in a direction in which a scanning direction of thehead intersects a transportation direction of the recording medium andejects an ink to print an image in a width of the nozzle row. Asdisclosed in JPA-2011-5733, there is also a known line head method inwhich nozzles are disposed in a row shape in a direction intersecting atransportation direction of a recording medium and an image is printedwhen the recording medium passes therebelow.

JP-A-2011-5733 discloses an exemplification in which a secondary filterconsisting of one capacitor C and a coil L is used as a smooth filter,without specifying which type of the coil L needs to be used.

A coil used in smoothing an amplification modulation signal from adigital power amplification circuit generally tends to be great in heatgeneration and a loss, and thus, selection of a coil which can preventheat generation and heat loss from occurring is a major disadvantage indesigning a liquid ejecting-type printing apparatus. Particularly, in aprinter, since an amplification modulation signal at a high frequencysuch as a MHz order is used in order to obtain a printed matter havingsufficient quality and resolution, it is difficult to use a method ofselecting a coil adopted in other electronic apparatuses (for example,an ordinary audio apparatus uses a frequency of approximately 32 kHz to400 kHz) in a printer as it is.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the present invention is to provide aliquid ejecting-type printing apparatus of low power consumption or ahead unit used in the same apparatus able to select the coil having highconversion efficiency which can prevent heat generation and heat lossfrom occurring when smoothing the amplification modulation signal, forexample, in the liquid ejecting-type printing apparatus such as an inkjet printer using the amplification modulation signal at a highfrequency.

(1) According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquidejecting apparatus including a signal modulation section that causes anoriginal drive signal to be pulse-modulated to generate a modulationsignal, a signal amplification section that amplifies the modulationsignal to generate an amplification modulation signal, a coil thatsmooths the amplification modulation signal to generate a drive signal,a piezoelectric element that deforms when the drive signal is appliedthereto, a cavity that expands or contracts due to deformation of thepiezoelectric element, and a nozzle that communicates with the cavityand ejects a liquid in accordance with the increase/decrease of apressure inside the cavity. The coil is a ferrite core-type, and a coregap therein is provided to be equal to or wider than 1.1 mm.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the amplification modulation signal ata high frequency generated in the signal amplification section (forexample, digital power amplification circuit) is input to the coil. Forthis reason, an iron loss (loss of core material) is often more dominantthan a copper loss (loss of wire material) as a factor increasing heatgeneration during power consumption. An eddy-current loss accounting fora large portion of the iron loss is proportional to square of magneticflux density, and thus, it is possible to lower the magnetic fluxdensity and further prevent the iron loss by providing the core gap ofthe coil to be equal to or wider than 1.1 mm. Therefore, since the coilwhich can attain high conversion efficiency is used without increasingheat generation or power consumption, it is possible to realize lowpower consumption in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to theaspect of the invention.

The original drive signal indicates an original signal of a drive signalwhich controls deformation of a piezoelectric element, that is, a signalbefore being modulated which becomes a reference of a waveform. Themodulation signal indicates a digital signal which can be obtained bycausing the original drive signal to be pulse-modulated (for example,pulse width modulation, pulse density modulation and the like), and thesignal modulation section indicates a modulation circuit performing thepulse modulation. The signal amplification section indicates a digitalpower amplification circuit including a half bridge output stage, forexample, and the amplification modulation signal indicates a modulationsignal amplified in the signal amplification section. The drive signalindicates a signal which can be obtained by smoothing the amplificationmodulation signal using a coil, and the drive signal is applied to thepiezoelectric element.

(2) The coil may have the number of turn equal to or greater than three.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention, the coilcan maintain an inductance value even though the core gap is widened, byhaving the number of turn equal to or greater than three. Accordingly,even though the core gap of the coil is widened, there is no need tochange design of a filter in which the coil is used, for example, andthus, it is possible to easily realize a liquid ejecting apparatus oflow power consumption.

(3) A frequency band of an AC component of the amplification modulationsignal may be equal to or higher than 1 MHz.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention, theamplification modulation signal is smoothed to generate the drivesignal, and a liquid is ejected from the nozzle based on deformation ofthe piezoelectric element to which the drive signal is applied.According to a frequency spectrum analysis performed upon a waveform ofthe drive signal for the liquid ejecting apparatus ejecting small dots(minute dots), it has been learned that a frequency component equal toor lower than 50 kHz is included. In order to amplify an original drivesignal including this frequency component of 50 kHz through the digitalpower amplification circuit (corresponding to signal amplificationsection), a modulation signal (amplification modulation signal)including a frequency component equal to or higher than 1 MHz is needed.If reproducing of the original drive signal is attempted with only thefrequency component equal to or lower than 1 MHz, the edge of thewaveform becomes obtuse and rounded. In other words, sharpnessdisappears and the waveform becomes obtuse. If the waveform of the drivesignal becomes obtuse, movements of the piezoelectric element which isoperated in accordance with the rising edge/falling edge of the waveformbecome dull, thereby causing an occurrence of unstable driving such astailing or ejection failure during ejection. The liquid ejectingapparatus of the invention has the frequency band of an AC component ofthe amplification modulation signal equal to or higher than 1 MHz sothat there is no unstable driving such as the tailing or the ejectionfailure during ejection, thereby making it possible to realize theliquid ejecting apparatus which can obtain a product having highresolution.

(4) The frequency band of an AC component of the amplificationmodulation signal may be lower than 8 MHz.

If a high frequency equal to or higher than 8 MHz is supported as afrequency of the amplification modulation signal, resolving power of thewaveform of the drive signal is enhanced, but a switching frequency inthe digital power amplification circuit (corresponding to signalamplification section) rises in accordance with improvement in theresolving power. If the switching frequency rises, a switching lossbecomes significant, resulting in impairment of a power saving propertyand a low pyrogenic property in which a digital amplifier is relativelyadvantageous compared to an amplifier of class AB. Thus, it may bedesirable to perform amplification by using the amplifier of class AB.In the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, the frequency band ofthe AC component of the amplification modulation signal is caused to belower than 8 MHz, and it is possible to maintain advantages of low powerconsumption and low heat generation compared to a case using theamplifier of class AB.

(5) A loss of a core material may be greater than a loss of a wirematerial in the coil during a normal operation.

The normal operation denotes a state where the liquid ejecting apparatusis used for a normal purpose and a product can be obtained by ejecting aliquid thereof. In this case, an amplification modulation signal withina predetermined frequency band (for example, 1 MHz to 8 MHz) is input tothe coil of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the presentembodiment. In the coil of the liquid ejecting apparatus of anembodiment, the iron loss (loss of core material) is greater than thecopper loss (loss of wire material) with respect to the overallfrequencies. In the coil of the liquid ejecting apparatus according tothe embodiment, it is possible to particularly prevent the iron losswhich is dominant during the normal operation by providing the core gapequal to or wider than 1.1 mm. Therefore, it is possible to realize lowpower consumption in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention.

(6) The core material of the coil may be formed of Mn—Zn-based ferrite.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention, the coilhaving a core material formed of the Mn—Zn-based ferrite in which aresistance component (below-described Rs) is greater compared to a coilof another type is used, and thus, it is possible to prevent theeddy-current loss from accounting for a large portion of the iron loss.Therefore, since the coil which can acquire the high conversionefficiency is used without increasing heat generation or powerconsumption, it is possible to realize low power consumption all themore in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention.

(7) According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided ahead unit including a piezoelectric element that deforms when a drivesignal is applied thereto, a cavity that expands or contracts due todeformation of the piezoelectric element, and a nozzle that communicateswith the cavity and ejects a liquid in accordance with theincrease/decrease of a pressure inside the cavity. The drive signalgenerated by smoothing an amplification modulation signal is applied tothe piezoelectric element through a ferrite-type coil which is providedwith a core gap equal to or wider than 1.1 mm.

In the head unit, there is provided the piezoelectric element to whichthe drive signal generated by the coil provided with the core gap equalto or wider than 1.1 mm is applied. Therefore, since the liquid ejectingapparatus including this head unit uses the coil which can acquire thehigh conversion efficiency without increasing heat generation or powerconsumption by preventing the iron loss, it is possible to realize lowpower consumption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of aprinting system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the printer.

FIG. 4 is a view for describing a structure of a head.

FIG. 5 is a view for describing a drive signal which is from a drivesignal generation section, and a control signal which is used in formingdots.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram describing a configuration of a head controlsection.

FIG. 7 is a view describing a flow up to generation of the drive signal.

FIG. 8 is a detailed block diagram of the drive signal generationsection and the like.

FIG. 9 is a view describing differences of Rs by types of corematerials.

FIG. 10 is a view describing a ratio of a copper loss to an iron loss inRs.

FIG. 11A is a view describing a ratio of an eddy-current loss to ahysteresis loss, and FIG. 11B is a view for describing an eddy-current.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are views for describing an interrelationship betweenRs of a coil using the core material formed of Mn—Zn-based ferrite andpower consumption.

FIG. 13A is a plan view illustrating the appearance of the coil, andFIGS. 13B and 13C are cross-sectional views taken along line XIIIB,XIIIC-XIIIB, XIIIC for describing a core gap and the number of turn ofthe coil.

FIG. 14 is a view exemplifying a change of a frequency-Rs characteristicdepending on a difference in the core gap and the number of turn of thecoil.

FIG. 15 is a spectrum analysis diagram of an original drive signal.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

1. Configuration of Printing System

A configuration applied to a liquid ejecting-type printing apparatuswill be described as an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatusaccording to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of aprinting system including a liquid ejecting-type printing apparatus(printer 1) of the present embodiment. As described below, the printer 1is a line head printer in which a sheet S (refer to FIGS. 2 and 3) istransported in a predetermined direction and is printed in a printingregion during the transportation thereof.

The printer 1 is connected to a computer 80 to be able to communicatewith each other. A printer driver installed inside the computer 80creates printing data to cause the printer 1 to print an image, andoutputs the data to the printer 1. The printer 1 has a controller 10, asheet transportation mechanism 30, a head unit 40 and a detector group70. As described below, the printer 1 may include a plurality of headunits 40. However, one head unit 40 will be described herein as arepresentative unit illustrated in FIG. 1.

The controller 10 inside the printer 1 performs overall controlling inthe printer 1. An interface section 11 transceiver data with respect tothe computer 80, which is an external apparatus. The interface section11 outputs a piece of printing data 111 among pieces of data receivedfrom the computer 80 to a CPU 12. The printing data 111 includes imagedata, data designating a printing mode, and the like.

The CPU 12 is an arithmetic processing unit performing the overallcontrolling of the printer 1 and controls the head unit 40 and the sheettransportation mechanism 30 via a drive signal generation section 14, acontrol signal generation section 15 and a transportation signalgeneration section 16. A memory 13 secures a storage region or a workingregion for a program and data of the CPU 12. The detector group 70monitors circumstances in the printer 1, and the controller 10 performsthe controlling based on a detected result from the detector group 70.The program and the data of the CPU 12 may be stored in a storage medium113. The storage medium 113 may be any one of a magnetic disk such as ahard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, a nonvolatile memory such as aflash memory, and the like, without being particularly limited. As inFIG. 1, the CPU 12 may be accessible to the storage medium 113 which isconnected to the printer 1. The storage medium 113 may be connected tothe computer 80, and the CPU 12 may be accessible (route notillustrated) to the storage medium 113 via the interface section 11 andthe computer 80.

The drive signal generation section 14 generates a drive signal COMdisplacing a piezoelectric element PZT which is included in a head 41.As described below, the drive signal generation section 14 includes aportion of an original drive signal generation section 25, a signalmodulation section 26, a signal amplification section 28 (digital poweramplification circuit), and a signal conversion section 29 (smoothfilter) (refer to FIG. 7). The drive signal generation section 14following instructions from the CPU 12 generates an original drivesignal 125 in the original drive signal generation section 25, causesthe original drive signal 125 to be pulse-modulated in the signalmodulation section 26 to generate a modulation signal 126, amplifies themodulation signal 126 in the signal amplification section 28, andsmooths an amplification modulation signal 128 (amplified modulationsignal 126) in the signal conversion section 29, thereby generating thedrive signal COM.

The control signal generation section 15 following instructions from theCPU 12 generates a control signal. The control signal is a signal usedfor controlling the head 41, selecting a nozzle to eject a liquid, forexample. In the embodiment, the control signal generation section 15generates control signals including a clock signal SCK, a latch signalLAT, a channel signal CH and drive pulse selection data SI & SP, andthese signals will be described below in detail. The control signalgeneration section 15 may be configured to be included in the CPU 12(that is, a configuration in which the CPU 12 also performs a functionof the control signal generation section 15).

The drive signal COM generated by the drive signal generation section 14is an analog signal in which a voltage continuously changes. The controlsignals including the clock signal SCK, the latch signal LAT, thechannel signal CH and the drive pulse selection data SI & SP are digitalsignals. The drive signal COM and the control signals are transmitted tothe head 41 of the head unit 40 via a cable 20, that is, a flexible flatcable (hereinafter, also referred to as FFC). Regarding the controlsignal, a differential serial method may be used to transmit a pluralityof types of the signals through time sharing. In this case, compared toa case of parallel transmission of the control signals classified bytypes, the number of transmission wire necessary can be reduced, therebyavoiding deterioration of a sliding property caused by many superposedFFC and causing a size of a connector provided in the controller 10 andthe head unit 40 to be small.

The transportation signal generation section 16 following theinstructions from the CPU 12 generates a signal to control the sheettransportation mechanism 30. The sheet transportation mechanism 30rotatably supports the sheet S which is continuously wound in a rollshape, for example, and transports the sheet S by rotating, therebyprinting a predetermined character, image or the like in the printingregion. For example, the sheet transportation mechanism 30 transportsthe sheet S in a predetermined direction based on a signal generated inthe transportation signal generation section 16. The transportationsignal generation section 16 may be configured to be included in the CPU12 (that is, a configuration in which the CPU 12 also performs afunction of the transportation signal generation section 16).

The head unit 40 includes the head 41 as a liquid ejecting section. Dueto limitations of space, only one head 41 is illustrated in FIG. 1.However, the head unit 40 according to the embodiment is regarded ashaving a plurality of heads 41. The head 41 has at least two actuatorsections including the piezoelectric element PZT, a cavity CA and anozzle NZ, and also includes a head control section HC controllingdisplacement of the piezoelectric element PZT. The actuator sectionincludes the piezoelectric element PZT which is displaceable by thedrive signal COM, the cavity CA which is filled with a liquid and inwhich an inside pressure is increased/decreased in accordance with thedisplacement of the piezoelectric element PZT, and a nozzle NZ whichcommunicates with the cavity CA and ejects a liquid as a liquid dropletin accordance with the increase/decrease of a pressure inside the cavityCA. The head control section HC controls the displacement of thepiezoelectric element PZT based on the drive signal COM and the controlsignal from the controller 10.

In order to distinguish elements included in each actuator section, anumeral in parenthesis is applied to the reference sign. In the exampleof FIG. 1, there are three actuator sections. A first actuator sectionincludes a first piezoelectric element PZT(1), a first cavity CA(1) anda first nozzle NZ(1); a second actuator section includes a secondpiezoelectric element PZT(2), a second cavity CA(2) and a second nozzleNZ(2); and a third actuator section includes a third piezoelectricelement PZT(3), a third cavity CA(3) and a third nozzle NZ(3). Theactuator section may be two or four in number, for example, withoutbeing limited to being three. In FIG. 1, the first to third actuatorsections are included in one head 41 for convenience of illustration.However, a portion of the actuators may be included in another head 41(not illustrated).

The drive signal COM is generated in the drive signal generation section14 as in FIG. 1, and transmitted to the first piezoelectric elementPZT(1), the second piezoelectric element PZT(2) and the thirdpiezoelectric element PZT(3) via the cable 20 and the head controlsection HC. The control signals including the clock signal SCK, thelatch signal LAT, the channel signal CH and the drive pulse selectiondata SI & SP are generated in the control signal generation section 15as in FIG. 1, and used for controlling in the head control section HCvia the cable 20.

2. Configuration of Printer

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the printer 1. In theexample of FIG. 2, the sheet S is described as continuously wound paperin a roll shape. A recording medium on which the printer 1 prints animage may be cut paper, cloth, a film or the like, without being limitedto the continuously wound paper.

The printer 1 has a feeding shaft 21 which feeds the sheet S byrotating, and a relay roller 22 which winds the sheet S fed from thefeeding shaft 21 to be guided to a pair of upstream side transportationrollers 31. The printer 1 has a plurality of relay rollers 32 and 33which wind and send the sheet S, the pair of upstream sidetransportation rollers 31 which are installed on an upstream side fromthe printing region in a transportation direction, and a pair ofdownstream side transportation rollers 34 which are installed on adownstream side from the printing region in the transportationdirection. The pair of upstream side transportation rollers 31 and thepair of downstream side transportation rollers 34 respectively havedriving rollers 31 a and 34 a connected to motors (not illustrated) forrotational driving, and driven rollers 31 b and 34 b rotating inaccordance with rotations of the driving rollers 31 a and 34 a. Atransportation force is applied to the sheet S in accordance with therotational driving of the driving rollers 31 a and 34 a in a state wherethe pair of upstream side transportation rollers 31 and the pair ofdownstream side transportation rollers 34 respectively pinch the sheetS. The printer 1 has a relay roller 61 which winds and sends the sheet Ssent from the pair of downstream side transportation rollers 34, and awinding driving shaft 62 which winds the sheet S sent from the relayroller 61. The printed sheet S is sequentially wound in a roll shape inaccordance with the rotational driving of the winding driving shaft 62.The rollers or the motors (not illustrated) correspond to the sheettransportation mechanism 30 in FIG. 1.

The printer 1 has the head unit 40 and a platen 42 which supports thesheet S from an opposite side surface of a printing surface in theprinting region. The printer 1 may include the plurality of head units40. In the printer 1, for example, the head unit 40 may be prepared foreach color of ink. The printer 1 may have a configuration in which fourhead units 40 which can eject inks in four colors, that is, yellow (Y),magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) are arranged in the transportationdirection. In the description below, one head unit 40 is described as arepresentative unit. However, the colors of the ink are respectivelyallocated to the nozzles thereof, thereby making it possible to performcolor printing.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the head unit 40, a plurality of heads41(1) to 41(4) are arranged in a width direction (Y-direction) of thesheet S intersecting with the transportation direction of the sheet S.For convenience of description, numbers are applied in an ascendingorder from the head 41 on a further rear side in the Y-direction. On asurface facing the sheet S (bottom surface) in each head 41, multiplenozzles NZ ejecting an ink are arranged at predetermined intervals inthe Y-direction. FIG. 3 virtually illustrates positions of the heads 41and the nozzles NZ when the head unit 40 is seen from the top. Thepositions of the nozzles NZ in end portions of the heads 41 adjacent toeach other in the Y-direction (for example, 41(1) and 41(2)) overlapeach other at least in a portion, and the nozzles NZ are arranged atpredetermined intervals in the Y-direction across a length equal to orwider than the width of the sheet S on the bottom surface of the headunit 40. Therefore, the head unit 40 ejects an ink from the nozzle NZ tothe sheet S which is transported under the head unit 40 withoutstopping, thereby printing a two-dimensional image on the sheet S.

In FIG. 3, due to limitations of space, the heads 41 which belong to thehead unit 40 are illustrated as four, but the number is not limitedthereto. In other words, the number of head 41 may be more or less thanfour. The heads 41 in FIG. 3 are disposed in a zigzag grid shape, butthe disposition is not limited thereto. As a method of ejecting an inkfrom the nozzle NZ, a piezoelectric type is adopted in the embodiment inwhich an ink is ejected by applying a voltage to the piezoelectricelement PZT to expand/extract an ink chamber. However, a thermal typemay be adopted in which an ink is ejected by air bubbles generatedinside the nozzle NZ using a heating element.

In the embodiment, the sheet S is supported on a horizontal surface ofthe platen 42, but without being limited thereto, for example, arotation drum which rotates around a rotating shaft in the widthdirection of the sheet S may be caused to serve as the platen 42,thereby ejecting an ink from the head 41 while winding the sheet Saround the rotation drum to be transported. In this case, the head unit40 is obliquely disposed along an outer circumferential surface of anarc shape of the rotation drum. If the ink ejected from the head 41 isan UV ink which is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays, an irradiatorfor irradiating ultraviolet rays may be provided on a downstream side ofthe head unit 40.

The printer 1 is provided with a maintenance region for cleaning thehead unit 40. There exist a wiper 51, a plurality of caps 52 and an inkreception section 53 in the maintenance region of the printer 1. Themaintenance region is positioned on a rear side in the Y-direction fromthe platen 42 (that is, printing region), and the head unit 40 moves tothe rear side in the Y-direction while cleaning.

The wiper 51 and the caps 52 are supported by the ink reception section53 to be movable in an X-direction (transportation direction of sheet S)by the ink reception section 53. The wiper 51 is a plate-shaped membererected in the ink reception section 53 and formed of an elastic member,cloth, felt and the like. The caps 52 are rectangular parallelepipedmembers formed of the elastic members and the like, and are provided ineach head 41. The caps 52(1) to 52(4) are arranged in the widthdirection corresponding to the disposition of the heads 41(1) to 41(4)in the head unit 40. Accordingly, if the head unit 40 moves to the rearside in the Y-direction, the heads 41 and the caps 52 face each other,and then, if the head unit 40 is lowered (or if the caps 52 are lifted),the caps 52 respectively adhere to nozzle opening surfaces of the heads41, thereby making it possible to seal the nozzle NZ. The ink receptionsection 53 also functions to receive an ink ejected from the nozzles NZwhile cleaning the heads 41.

When an ink is ejected from the nozzle NZ provided in the heads 41,minute ink droplets are generated together with main ink droplets, andthe minute ink droplets fly about as a mist, thereby adhering to thenozzle opening surfaces of the heads 41. Not only the ink, but dust,paper powder and the like also adhere to the nozzle opening surfaces ofthe heads 41. If these foreign substances are left behind and accumulateand adhere to the nozzle opening surfaces of the heads 41, the nozzlesNZ are blocked, thereby hindering ejection of ink from the nozzles NZ.Therefore, in the printer 1 according to the embodiment, a wipingtreatment is periodically carried out as the cleaning of the head unit40.

3. Drive Signal and Control Signal

Hereinafter, the drive signal COM and the control signal transmittedfrom the controller 10 via the cable 20 will be described in detail.Initially, a structure of the heads 41 will be described, and afterwaveforms of the drive signal COM and the control signal areexemplified, a configuration of the head control section HC will bedescribed.

3.1. Structure of Head

FIG. 4 is a view for describing a structure of the head 41. The nozzleNZ, the piezoelectric element PZT, an ink supply channel 402, a nozzlecommunication channel 404 and an elastic plate 406 are illustrated inFIG. 4. The ink supply channel 402 and the nozzle communication channel404 correspond to the cavity CA.

The ink droplets are supplied through the ink supply channel 402 from anink tank (not illustrated). Then, the ink droplets are supplied to thenozzle communication channel 404. A drive pulse PCOM of the drive signalCOM is applied to the piezoelectric element PZT. When the drive pulsePCOM is applied, the piezoelectric element PZT expands/extracts (isdisplaced) in accordance with a waveform, thereby vibrating the elasticplate 406. The ink droplets in an amount corresponding to amplitude ofthe drive pulse PCOM are ejected from the nozzle NZ. The actuatorsections configured to have the nozzles NZ, the piezoelectric elementPZT and the like are arranged as in FIG. 3, thereby configuring theheads 41 having the nozzle rows.

3.2. Waveform of Signal

FIG. 5 is a view for describing the drive signal COM which is from thedrive signal generation section 14 and the control signal which is usedin forming dots. The drive signal COM is obtained by chronologicallyconnecting the drive pulses PCOM, that is, unit drive signals applied tothe piezoelectric element PZT to eject a liquid. A rising portion of thedrive pulse PCOM indicates a stage in which volume of the cavity CAcommunicating with the nozzle is expanded to draw a liquid in, and afalling portion of the drive pulse PCOM indicates a stage in which thevolume of the cavity CA is contracted to push a liquid out. As a resultof pushing out a liquid, the liquid is ejected from the nozzle.

A draw-in amount or a draw-in speed of a liquid and a push-out amount ora push-out speed of the liquid can vary by variously changing aninclination of increase/decrease in voltage and a peak value of thedrive pulse PCOM formed by a voltage trapezoidal wave. Accordingly, itis possible to obtain the dot having various sizes by changing anejecting amount of a liquid. Therefore, even in a case ofchronologically connecting the plurality of drive pulses PCOM, it ispossible to obtain the dots having various sizes by selecting a singledrive pulse PCOM therefrom to be applied to the piezoelectric elementPZT, thereby ejecting a liquid, or by selecting a plurality of the drivepulses PCOM to be applied to the piezoelectric element PZT, therebyejecting a liquid a plurality of times. In other words, if a pluralityof liquids are caused to impact onto the same position before theliquids dry, substantially the same effect can be achieved as ejecting alarge amount of liquid, and thus, the dot can be increased in size. Itis possible to achieve multi-gradation by combining such technologies. Adrive pulse PCOM 1 at the left end in FIG. 5 only draws a liquid inwithout pushing any out, which is different from drive pulses PCOM 2 toPCOM 4. This is called a minute vibration and is used for suppressingand preventing thickening at the nozzle without ejecting an ink.

The clock signal SCK, the latch signal LAT, the channel signal CH andthe drive pulse selection data SI & SP are input to the head controlsection HC as the control signals from the control signal generationsection 15, in addition to the drive signal COM from the drive signalgeneration section 14. The latch signal LAT and the channel signal CHamong these are the control signals determining an instant of time forthe drive signal COM. As in FIG. 5, a series of drive signals COM beginto be output by the latch signal LAT so that a drive pulse PCOM isoutput for each channel signal CH. Pieces of the drive pulse selectiondata SI & SP include pieces of the pixel data SI (SIH, SIL) fordesignating the piezoelectric element PZT corresponding to the nozzlewhich is to eject an ink droplet, as well as a piece of waveform patterndata SP of the drive signal COM. The reference signs SIH and SILrespectively correspond to a high-order bit and a low-order bit of the2-bit pixel data SI.

3.3. Head Control Section

FIG. 6 is a block diagram describing a configuration of the head controlsection HC. The head control section HC is configured to have a shiftregister 211 which stores the drive pulse selection data SI & SP fordesignating the piezoelectric element PZT corresponding to the nozzleejecting a liquid, a latch circuit 212 which temporarily stores data ofthe shift register 211, and a level shifter 213 which applies a voltageof the drive signal COM to the piezoelectric element PZT by converting alevel of an output of the latch circuit 212 to supply to a selectionswitch 201.

The pieces of the drive pulse selection data SI & SP are sequentiallyinput to the shift register 211, and a storage region is sequentiallyshifted from a first stage to latter stages in accordance with an inputpulse of the clock signal SCK. The latch circuit 212 latches each outputsignal of the shift register 211 in response to the input latch signalLAT, after the pieces of the drive pulse selection data SI & SP arestored in the shift register 211 related to the corresponding the numberof the nozzle. The signals stored in the latch circuit 212 are convertedinto a voltage level in which the selection switch 201 in a next stagecan be turned on/off by the level shifter 213. This is because the drivesignal COM is charged with a high voltage compared to an output voltageof the latch circuit 212 and a range of an operation voltage of theselection switch 201 is set high in accordance therewith. Therefore, thepiezoelectric element PZT in which the selection switch 201 is closed bythe level shifter 213 is connected to the drive signal COM (drive pulsePCOM) as a connection of the drive pulse selection data SI & SP.

After the drive pulse selection data SI & SP of the shift register 211is stored in the latch circuit 212, subsequent printing information isinput to the shift register 211, thereby sequentially updating thestored data of the latch circuit 212 during an ejection of a liquid.Even after causing the piezoelectric element PZT to be separated fromthe drive signal COM (drive pulse PCOM), this selection switch 201allows the input voltage of the piezoelectric element PZT to maintainthe voltage immediately before being separated therefrom.

3.4. Drive Signal

FIG. 7 is a view describing a flow for explaining generation of thedrive signal COM. As described above, the portion of the original drivesignal generation section 25, the signal modulation section 26, thesignal amplification section 28 (digital power amplification circuit),and the signal conversion section 29 (smooth filter) in FIG. 7correspond to the drive signal generation section 14. The original drivesignal generation section 25 generates the original drive signal 125 asin FIG. 7, for example, based on the printing data 111 from theinterface section 11.

The original drive signal generation section 25 includes the CPU 12, aDAC 39 and the like as described below, and the CPU 12 selects originaldrive data based on the printing data 111 to output to the DAC 39,thereby generating the original drive signal 125.

The signal modulation section 26 performs a predetermined modulation togenerate the modulation signal 126 upon the original drive signal 125from the original drive signal generation section 25. As describedbelow, a modulation using an error amplifier 37 is performed as thepredetermined modulation in the embodiment. However, a basic modulationoperation thereof is the same as that of a pulse-density modulation(PDM). Another modulation method such as a pulse-width modulation (PWM)may be used as the predetermined modulation.

The signal amplification section 28 receives the modulation signal 126to perform power amplification, and the signal conversion section 29smooths the amplification modulation signal 128 to generate the analogdrive signal COM.

A configuration regarding a functional block illustrated in FIG. 7 willbe described in detail. FIG. 8 is a detailed block diagram of the drivesignal generation section 14 and the like in the printer 1 theembodiment. The head unit 40 receiving the drive signal COM generated bythe drive signal generation section 14 is also illustrated in FIG. 8.

The original drive signal generation section 25 includes the memory 13which stores the original drive data of the original drive signal 125configured to have digital potential data and the like, the CPU 12 whichreads the original drive data from the memory 13 based on the printingdata 111 from the interface section 11, and the DAC 39 which converts avoltage signal output from the CPU 12 into an analog signal to output tothe DAC 39 as the original drive signal 125.

The signal modulation section 26 is a circuit generating the modulationsignal 126 which has the same basic modulation operation as that of thepulse-density modulation method (hereinafter, PDM method). The signalmodulation section 26 includes the error amplifier 37 which amplifies anerror, and a comparator 35.

In the PDM method, self-pulsation is performed by comparing an outputwaveform and an input waveform, thereby modulating the pulse density.Normally, a circuit which realizes a modulation through the PDM methodis configured to have an integration circuit, a comparator and adelayer. A basic configuration thereof is the same as that of agenerally known ΔΣ modulator. A ΔΣ modulation is one of an A/Dconversion quantizing a signal. The ΔΣ modulation causes an error, thatis, quantized noise generated in a quantizer (comparator) to be shiftedto a higher frequency band than an input signal due to twocharacteristics such as over sampling and noise shaping, therebyachieving good accuracy with respect to a low band signal, and causingthe quantized noise shifted to the high frequency band to be distributedthroughout a broadband. Thus, a pulse frequency changes in response toan input signal level.

In the signal modulation section 26 according to the embodiment, a routein which the modulation signal 126 performs feedback via the signalamplification section 28 and the like corresponds to the delayer. Thesignal modulation section 26 uses the error amplifier 37 which amplifiesa differential between two input signals, in place of an integratorwhich is often used in a modulation circuit adopting the PDM method. Inthis case, a feedback signal to the signal modulation section 26 is notthe amplification modulation signal 128 but the drive signal COM. Thequantizing is performed based on the differential between the drivesignal COM and the original drive signal 125. The signal modulationsection 26 according to the embodiment can reduce delay time (delayelement), but for the integrator is not necessary. Thus, it is possibleto achieve speed improvement in the modulation process. The signalmodulation section 26 can reduce phase delay with respect to theoriginal drive signal 125 of the drive signal COM by correcting phaseadvance of the error amplifier 37, for example. Since a pulsationfrequency rises by decreasing the delay element, the signal modulationsection 26 can perform the modulation having high reproducibility of awaveform.

The signal amplification section 28 is the digital power amplificationcircuit, and is configured to have a half-bridge output stage consistingof a switching element QH on a higher side and a switching element QL ona lower side for amplifying power practically, and a gate drive circuit38 for adjusting gate input signals GH and GL of the switching elementQH on the higher side and the switching element QL on the lower sidebased on the modulation signal 126 from the signal modulation section26. For example, a power MOSFET can be used as the switching elements QHand QL, and the switching element is not limited thereto.

In the signal amplification section 28, when the modulation signal 126is at a high level, a gate input signal GH of the switching element QHon the higher side is at a high level, and a gate input signal GL of theswitching element QL on the lower side is at a low level. Therefore, theswitching element QH on the higher side is in an ON-state and theswitching element QL on the lower side is in an OFF-state. As a result,an output from the half bridge output stage becomes a supply voltageVdd. On the contrary, when the modulation signal 126 is at a low level,the gate input signal GH of the switching element QH on the higher sideis at a low level, and the gate input signal GL of the switching elementQL on the lower side is at a high level. Therefore, the switchingelement QH on the higher side is in the OFF-state and the switchingelement QL on the lower side is in the ON-state. As a result, an outputfrom the half bridge output stage becomes zero.

When an amplification instruction signal 112 output from the CPU 12gives an instruction to stop an operation, the gate drive circuit 38causes both the switching element QH on the higher side and theswitching element QL on the lower side to be in the OFF-state. Causingboth the switching element QH on the higher side and the switchingelement QL on the lower side to be in the OFF-state is synonymous withstopping the operation of the signal amplification section 28. Thus, anactuator consisting of the piezoelectric elements PZT which areelectrically capacitive loads is maintained in a high impedance state.

The signal conversion section 29 uses a secondary filter which is asmooth filter consisting of a coil L and a capacitor C. A modulationfrequency, that is, a frequency component in the pulse modulationgenerated in the signal modulation section 26 is attenuated andeliminated by the signal conversion section 29, thereby generating thedrive signal COM to output to the head unit 40.

The head unit 40 has the heads 41 and includes a number of thepiezoelectric elements PZT corresponding to those of the nozzlesejecting a liquid. The first piezoelectric element PZT(1), the secondpiezoelectric element PZT(2) and the third piezoelectric element PZT(3)are a portion of the overall piezoelectric elements PZT (for example,several thousand piezoelectric elements). The heads 41 include the headcontrol section HC, and the head control section HC includes theselection switch 201 for selecting whether a voltage of the drive signalCOM is applied to each of the piezoelectric elements PZT. In FIG. 8, anyfunctional block (for example, shift register 211 and the like, refer toFIG. 6) other than the cavity CA, the nozzles NZ, and the selectionswitch 201 of the head control section HC is omitted in theillustration.

As described above, the coil L is used for smoothing the amplificationmodulation signal 128 which is from the signal amplification section 28(digital power amplification circuit) to generate the drive signal COM.However, generally, generation of heat and a loss in a coil used forsmoothing the amplification modulation signal 128 which is from thedigital power amplification circuit tend to account for a large portionof overall heat generation and power consumption of the liquidejecting-type printing apparatus. Accordingly, selection of a coil whichcan prevent heat generation and heat loss from occurring is a majordisadvantage in designing a liquid ejecting-type printing apparatus.

Particularly, in the printer 1, since the amplification modulationsignal 128 at a high frequency such as the MHz order is used in order toobtain a printed matter having sufficient quality and resolution, thepower consumption greatly varies depending on selection of the coil L.Hereinafter, the method of selecting a coil suitable to be used in theprinter 1 will be examined.

4. Regarding Selection of Coil

4.1. Type of Core Material

Generally, a coil can be broadly classified into an air core-type coilin which an electrical wire is wound in a cylindrical shape and theinside of the cylinder is empty, and a core coil in which a winding wireis wound around a core. The core coil often uses ferrite which is amagnetic material, thereby being called a ferrite coil. The loss to theair core-type coil is great despite having a low distortion property,thereby not being suitable to be used in the printer 1. Accordingly, asdescribed below, a plurality of coils having core materials differentfrom each other are evaluated among the ferrite coils to determine thetype of the core material suitable for the coil L.

Generally, there are three types of the core material such asMn—Zn-based ferrite (hereinafter, simply referred to as Mn—Zn-based),Ni—Zn-based ferrite (hereinafter, simply referred to as Ni—Zn-based) anddust core-based. Magnetic powder molded by a high pressure press as acore material is used in the dust core-based. FIG. 9 is measurement ofRs in coils respectively using the three types of the core materials,and illustrates differences of the Rs by the types of the corematerials. The Rs is a resistance component of the coil, and includes aresistance component contributing to an iron loss (loss of core) and aresistance component contributing to a copper loss (loss of wirematerial). In the following, “a resistance component contributing to aniron loss (loss of core)” may be simply referred to as “the iron loss(loss of core)”, and “a resistance component contributing to a copperloss (loss of wire material)” may be simply referred to as “the copperloss (loss of wire material)”. Direct current resistance (for example,approximately 2 mΩ) of a coil, is also a resistance component. However,the direct current resistance may be excluded from subjects of theexamination for being too small (for example, two-digit) compared to theRs.

As in FIG. 9, the coil using the Mn—Zn-based core material (hereinafter,also simply referred to as Mn—Zn-based coil) has a greater Rs value thanthe coil using the Ni—Zn-based core material (hereinafter, also simplyreferred to as Ni—Zn-based coil) and the coil using the dust core-basedcore material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as dust core-basedcoil). Although details will be described below, since an eddy-currentloss can be reduced when the Rs is great, it is preferable to select theMn—Zn-based coil as the coil L.

As another characteristic of the types of the core materials, theNi—Zn-based coil can be exemplified for being low in saturation magneticflux density, which denotes that the number of turn thereof needs to beincreased, for example, compared to the coils of other types in order toobtain a desired inductance value. However, since a small-type coil L isused in the printer 1, it is difficult to greatly increase the number ofturn. Therefore, from a viewpoint of the saturation magnetic fluxdensity, it is difficult to say that the Ni—Zn-based coil is suitablefor the coil L of the printer 1. When comparing the Mn—Zn-based coil andthe dust core-based coil, the dust core-based coil generally tends to berelatively high in the eddy-current loss. For this reason, it ispreferable to select the Mn—Zn-based coil unless the dust core-basedcoil is usable in which the eddy-current loss is sufficiently prevented.

The Rs values in FIG. 9 are evaluation results when a 4 MHz-operation,that is, a pulse signal at a frequency of 4 MHz is applied to each ofthe Mn—Zn-based coil, the Ni—Zn-based coil and the dust core-based coil.The frequency band of an AC component in the amplification modulationsignal 128 is in a range of equal to or higher than 1 MHz and lower than8 MHz. However, the fact remains that the Rs value of the Mn—Zn-basedcoil is relatively high in this frequency band.

The frequency band of the AC component in the amplification modulationsignal 128 is equal to or higher than 1 MHz for the following reason.COMA in FIG. 15 indicates a result of a frequency spectrum analysisregarding a pulse waveform (for example, a waveform of a portion of theoriginal drive signal 125 corresponding to PCOM 2 in FIG. 5) in theoriginal drive signal 125. According to FIG. 15, it is known that afrequency in a range of approximately 10 kHz to 400 kHz is included. Inorder to obtain the drive signal COM by amplifying the signalamplification section 28 which is the digital power amplificationcircuit, it is necessary for the signal amplification section 28 to bedriven at a switching frequency equal to or higher than ten times thatof the frequency component included in the original drive signal 125 atthe minimum. If the switching frequency of the signal amplificationsection 28 is lower than ten times as much compared to the frequencyspectrum included in the original drive signal 125, it is not possibleto modulate and amplify a high frequency spectrum component included inthe original drive signal 125, thereby causing the sharpness (edge) ofthe drive signal COM to become obtuse and rounded. If the drive signalCOM becomes obtuse, movements of the piezoelectric element PZT which isoperated in accordance with the rising edge/falling edge of the waveformbecome dull, and thus, there is a possibility that an ejecting amountfrom the nozzle NZ may be unstable or ejection failure may occur. Inother words, there is a possibility of an occurrence of an unstabledrive. According to FIG. 15, the high frequency spectrum component ofthe pulse waveform in the original drive signal 125 has the peak atapproximately 60 kHz, and many components have frequencies of lower than100 kHz. For this reason, it is desirable to drive the signalamplification section 28 at the switching frequency to the extent of 1MHz which is ten times of 100 kHz, at the minimum.

The frequency component included in the original drive signal 125 variesdepending on a size of an ejected ink droplet or a waveform of theoriginal drive signal 125 corresponding to a size of printing dots. Forexample, a waveform of a portion of the original drive signal 125 usedin the spectrum analysis in FIG. 15 is an original drive signal 125 forejecting an ink droplet having a size smaller than a standard size, andthus, a vibration width is small, at approximately 2V, as illustrated inFIG. 15. In this manner, in order to eject the ink droplet having asmall size, the piezoelectric element PZT is caused to rapidly move sothat a small ink droplet is ejected. Therefore, the drive signal COMneeds to include many high frequency spectrum components, and thepiezoelectric element PZT needs to move at a high speed as a matter ofcircumstances in order to perform high-speed printing, and many highfrequency spectrum components need to be included. In other words, as ahigher speed and higher resolution are pursued in printing, a demandedminimum frequency tends to be higher. The drive signal COM in theembodiment is designed for general household/office use, and is designedin expectation of printing approximately five sheets of an A4 printedmatter per minute to the specification of 5,760×1,440 dpi, using 180piezoelectric elements PZT.

The frequency band of the AC component of the amplification modulationsignal 128 is lower than 8 MHz, for the following reason. When theswitching frequency is high, if switching is attempted at a highpressure and a high frequency so as to be able to drive thepiezoelectric element PZT, various disadvantages occur such asgeneration of noise caused by increased junction capacitance, and anincrease of a switching loss due to high frequency drive, for astructural reason of a switching transistor (QH, QL). Particularly, theincrease of the switching loss may become a significant disadvantage. Inother words, the increase of the switching loss may result in impairmentof a power saving property and a low pyrogenic property in which thedigital power amplification circuit (digital amplifier) is relativelyadvantageous compared to an amplifier of class AB.

In the embodiment, when compared to an analog amplifier (amplifier ofclass AB) hitherto used, a result is obtained in which the digitalamplifier is advantageous over the analog amplifier up to 8 MHz.However, when the transistor is driven at a frequency equal to or higherthan 8 MHz, the amplifier of class AB may be advantageous over thedigital amplifier.

Hereinafter, it is preferable to select the Mn—Zn-based coil havinggreat Rs among the three types described above, and the reason will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 10 to 11B. FIG. 10 is a viewdescribing a ratio of the copper loss to the iron loss in Rs. Thevertical axis (resistance value) in FIG. 10 uses a logarithmic scale.

As described above, the Rs is a resistance component of the coilincluding the iron loss and the copper loss. The Rs described in a solidline in FIG. 10 is based on data measured by an impedance analyzer. Theamplification modulation signal 128 input to the coil L of the printer 1can secure a frequency within a range from Fmin to Fmax in FIG. 10,during a normal operation of printing performed by the printer 1. Inother words, in the embodiment, the Fmin is 1 MHz and the Fmax isapproximately 8 MHz.

An electrical resistance Rc of the copper loss among the Rs can becalculated through Expression 1, using an electrical resistivity ρ, alength L of a conductor, and a cross-sectional area S₀ of the conductor.

$\begin{matrix}{R_{c} = \frac{\rho\; L}{S_{0}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

The copper loss described in a dotted line in FIG. 10 indicates the Rcof Expression 1. Accordingly, in FIG. 10, a difference between the Rs inthe solid line and the copper loss in the dotted line denotes the ironloss. Since the vertical axis (resistance value) is the logarithmicscale, there is a relationship of iron loss>>copper loss within afrequency range from Fmin to Fmax, and thus, the iron loss is dominantin a loss of the coil L of the printer 1.

The iron loss (W) is the sum total of a hysteresis loss (W_(h)) and theeddy-current loss (W_(e)), and can be described as Expression 2 below.W=W _(h) +W _(e)≈(K _(h) ×B _(m) ^(η1) ×f)+(K _(e1) ×B _(m) ^(η2) ×f ²)  (2)

In Expression 2, the reference sign B_(m) denotes magnetic flux density;each of the reference signs/numerals K_(h), K_(e1), η1 and η2 denotefixed numbers; the reference sign f denotes a frequency of a signal ofthe coil L. The hysteresis loss (W_(h)) is a loss occurring when adirection of a magnetic field in a core varies. Since the hysteresisloss (W_(h)) occurs in proportion to the number of magnetic variation,the hysteresis loss (W_(h)) is proportional to the frequency (f).Meanwhile, the eddy-current loss (W_(e)) is a loss occurring due togeneration of an electromotive force through electromagnetic inductionin accordance with variations of the magnetic field in the core, and isdue to an induced current flowing the core. Volume of the eddy-currentflowing the core is in proportion to a magnetic variation speed, thatis, the frequency (f). Since the frequency (the number of occurrence) ismultiplied by the volume thereof, the eddy-current loss is in proportionto the square of the frequency (f).

FIG. 11A is a view describing a ratio of the eddy-current loss to thehysteresis loss, and is based on the above-described Expression 2. Theprinter 1 adopts the amplification modulation signal 128 used within arange of the high frequency (Fmin to Fmax). Therefore, as illustrated inFIG. 11A, the eddy-current loss is dominant which is in proportion tothe square of the frequency (f) in the same range, and most of the ironloss can be regarded as the eddy-current loss.

FIG. 11B is a view for describing an eddy-current EC. The eddy-currentEC is generated by the generation of the electromotive force through theelectromagnetic induction in accordance with the variations of themagnetic field (dotted line in FIG. 11B) inside the core CM. In order toprevent the eddy-current loss, it is necessary to reduce aneddy-current, that is, to select a material having great electricalresistance for the core CM. Accordingly, the Mn—Zn-based coil isselected having great Rs which is the resistance component, among theMn—Zn-based coil, the Ni—Zn-based coil, and the dust core-based coil soas to be able to prevent the eddy-current loss. As described above, theiron loss rather than the copper loss, and then, the eddy-current lossamong the iron losses is dominant in the printer 1 adopting theamplification modulation signal 128 used in the range of the highfrequency. Therefore, the most dominant eddy-current loss can beprevented by selecting the Mn—Zn-based coil as the coil L, and thus, itis possible to prevent heat generation and a loss of the coil L andprovide the printer 1 of low power consumption.

4.2. Selection of Coil

4.2.1. Selection Criterion

The coil L of the printer 1 configures a filter for smoothing theamplification modulation signal 128. However, generally, there is arange of choice. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12A, when there arecoils L₁, L₂ and L₃, all of which are the Mn—Zn-based coil and all ofwhich are able to satisfy a desired characteristic for the filter, it ispreferable to have a criterion to show which coil is the most suitable.In the following, a selection criterion other than the type of the corematerial will be examined.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are views for describing an interrelationship betweenthe Rs of the Mn—Zn-based coil and power consumption. FIG. 12Aillustrates a result of each measured Rs of three coils L₁, L₂ and L₃which are the Mn—Zn-based coils. As illustrated in FIG. 12A, each Rsbecomes higher in the coils in the proceeding order L₁, L₂ and L₃. Asillustrated in FIG. 12B, each of the power consumptions becomes higherin the coils in the proceeding order L₁, L₂ and L₃. In other words,according to a result obtained from an experiment regarding theMn—Zn-based coil, the resistance component Rs and the power consumptionhave a positive interrelationship.

Both FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate measurement values during the 4MHz-operation, and the above-described interrelationship remainsunchanged in an operation within the range of Fmin to Fmax. According tothe result of tests carried out with more samples, heat generation and aloss are reduced when a coil having the Rs lower than 200 mΩ is selectedin the 4 MHz-operation, thereby obtaining a good result.

Therefore, regarding the Mn—Zn-based coil, it is possible to select asuitable coil by having a selection criterion of the Rs to be lower than200 mΩ. In order to comply with the selection criterion, it ispreferable to select the coil L₁ having the Rs lower than 200 mΩ as inFIG. 12A, among the coils L₁, L₂ and L₃.

4.2.2. Adjustment Method

Subsequently, a case when there is no coil satisfying the selectioncriterion will be examined. For example, it is considered that there isno coil like the coil L₁ but the coil L₂ which can adjust the number ofturn and a core gap CG is available.

As described above, there is a relationship of iron loss>>copper losswithin the frequency range of Fmin to Fmax, and thus, the eddy-currentloss is dominant as the iron loss. In Expression 2, the constant η2 is“2”, and the eddy-current loss W_(e) is proportional to the square ofthe magnetic flux density B_(m), to be specific. Therefore, it iseffective to lower the magnetic flux density B_(m) in order to lower theeddy-current loss W_(e).

Magnetic flux φ, the magnetic flux density B_(m), an inductance valueV_(L) are respectively described in Expressions 3, 4 and 5 as follows.

$\begin{matrix}{\Phi = \frac{V_{L} \times I}{N}} & (3) \\{B_{m} = \frac{\Phi}{S_{1}}} & (4) \\{V_{L} = {k \times \mu_{c} \times N^{2}}} & (5)\end{matrix}$

In Expressions 3 to 5, the reference sign I denotes a current flowingthe coil, the reference sign N denotes the number of turn, the referencesign S₁ denotes a cross-sectional area of the core, the reference sign kdenotes a constant of proportionality determined by a shape of the coil,and the reference sign μ_(e) denotes effective permeability. Accordingto Expressions 3 to 5, it is possible to lower the magnetic flux densityB_(m), by adjusting the coil as described below.

Initially, the magnetic flux density B_(m) can be lowered by loweringthe inductance value V_(L) or the current I flowing the coil. However,since the inductance value V_(L) and the current I flowing the coil arein a relationship inversely proportional to each other, when one thereofchanges, the other offsets the change, thereby being less effective inlowering the magnetic flux density B_(m).

The magnetic flux density B_(m) can be lowered by increasing thecross-sectional area S₁ of the core. However, it is not practical due tomany constraints on design such as an increase of an area for mountingthe coil, and degradation of flexibility in design of a coil.

Therefore, it is considerable to adopt an adjustment method for loweringthe magnetic flux density B_(m) by lowering the effective permeabilityμ_(e). The effective permeability μ_(e) varies in accordance with achange in the core gap CG of the coil, for example.

FIG. 13A is a plan view illustrating the appearance of the coil(corresponding to coil L₂), and FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view takenalong line XIIIB-XIIIB thereof. As illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B, thecoil main body in which a wire material is wound around the core CM isconfigured to be surrounded by an upper package Pu, a side package Psand a bottom package Pb. Terminals T1 and T2 are respectively connectedto both ends of the wire material of the coil. As illustrated in FIG.13B, a gap between the core CM and the upper package Pu is the core gapCG.

FIG. 13C is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIIIC-XIIICdescribing a case when the core gap CG is widened. In this case, theeffective permeability μ_(e) is lowered when the core gap CG is widened,and the magnetic flux density Bm is lowered as well.

However, as shown in Expression 5, an increase in the number of turn Ncauses the inductance value V_(L) to change. There is a possibility thatcharacteristics of a smoothing filter may vary when the inductance valueV_(L) changes. Therefore, it is preferable to perform an adjustment byincreasing the number of turn N and maintaining the inductance valueV_(L) at the same time. In FIG. 13C, compared to a state of FIG. 13B,the adjustment is performed by widening the core gap CG and increasingthe number of turn from two turns to three turns so as to maintain theinductance value V_(L).

FIG. 14 is a view exemplifying a change of frequency-Rs characteristicsdue to a difference in the core gap CG and the number of turn of thecoil. A characteristic curve CC0 indicated by a dotted line describescharacteristics of the coil (corresponding to coil L₂) before adjustingthe core gap CG and the number of turn. In this case, the Rs of the coildoes not satisfy the selection criterion, that is, being lower than 200mΩ in the 4 MHz-operation.

A characteristic curve CC2 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 14describes characteristics of a case in which the core gap CG isbroadened to 1.1 mm. In this case, the Rs falls below 200 mΩ in the 4MHz-operation, in accordance with a decrease of the magnetic fluxdensity B_(m). However, since the inductance value V_(L) also decreases,it is necessary to perform the adjustment so as to maintain theinductance value V_(L) to be the same as that before the core gap CG isbroadened.

A characteristic curve CC1 indicated by a small dotted line in FIG. 14describes characteristics of a case when the number of turn is increasedto three turns and the inductance value V_(L) is maintained to be thesame as that before the core gap CG is broadened. In this case as well,the Rs falls below 200 mΩ in the 4 MHz-operation, and thus, heatgeneration and a loss in the coil can be sufficiently reduced.

As described above, even though the coil does not satisfy the selectioncriterion, the Rs can be sufficiently lowered by performing theadjustment, that is, widening the core gap CG equal to or wider than 1.1mm. It is possible to perform the adjustment for maintaining theinductance value V_(L) by increasing the number of turn to be equal toor greater than three turns. Even though this adjustment is performed,the Rs can be maintained in a sufficiently low (lower than 200 mΩ)state. In other words, according to the above-described adjustmentmethod, the Rs can be sufficiently lowered without influencing thecharacteristics of the smoothing filter.

In the embodiment, the adjustment method is described on the premisethat the Mn—Zn-based coil is used. However, the adjustment method can beapplied to a coil (for example, Ni—Zn-based coil) of a different type,without being limited to the Mn—Zn-based coil. Expressions 3 to 5 do notdepend on the type of the coil, and the adjustment method is deducedfrom the examinations based on Expressions 3 to 5, and thus, theadjustment method can be applied to a coil of a different type, withoutbeing limited to the Mn—Zn-based coil.

As described above, in a liquid ejecting-type printing apparatus such asthe printer 1 in which the amplification modulation signal 128 at a highfrequency is used, it is possible to select a coil having highconversion efficiency so as to be able to prevent heat generation and aloss when smoothing the amplification modulation signal 128. Initially,the Mn—Zn-based coil is selected, and thus, it is possible to preventthe eddy-current loss from accounting for a large portion of the ironloss and to reduce heat generation and a loss thereof. The selectioncriterion in which the Rs during the 4 MHz-operation is lower than 200mΩ adopted, and thus, it is possible to select a coil having less heatgeneration and a loss based on the interrelationship between the Rs andpower consumption. An adjustment is performed widening the core gap CGequal to or wider than 1.1 mm, or a coil satisfying such a condition isselected, and thus, it is possible to prevent the eddy-current loss fromaccounting for a large portion of the iron loss and to reduce heatgeneration and a loss. In this case, an adjustment is performed byincreasing the number of turn to be equal to or greater than threeturns, or a coil satisfying such a condition is selected so that theinductance value can be maintained without influencing characteristicsof the filter. Thus, it is possible to provide a liquid ejecting-typeprinting apparatus of low power consumption, and the like by using sucha coil.

The embodiment is not limited to the liquid ejecting apparatus by a linehead method (for example, may be also applied to a liquid ejectingapparatus by a serial head method), and thus, the same effect can beachieved as long as the amplification modulation signal 128 can beadopted in a liquid ejecting-type printing apparatus.

5. Others

The aspects of the invention include substantially the sameconfiguration (for example, a configuration having the same function,method and result; or a configuration having the same goal and effect)as the configuration described in the examples and applications. Theaspects of the invention also include a configuration of which a portionthat is nonessential in the configuration described in the embodimentsand the like is replaced. The aspects of the invention further include aconfiguration exhibiting the same operation effect or a configurationthrough which the same goal can be achieved, as the configurationdescribed in the embodiments and the like. The aspects of the inventionalso include a configuration in which a known technology is added to theconfiguration described in the embodiments and the like.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a signalmodulation section that causes an original drive signal to bepulse-modulated to generate a modulation signal; a signal amplificationsection that amplifies the modulation signal to generate anamplification modulation signal; a coil that smoothes the amplificationmodulation signal to generate a drive signal, wherein the coil is woundaround a core, and the coil and core are surrounded by a package; apiezoelectric element that deforms when the drive signal is appliedthereto; a cavity that expands or contracts due to a deformation of thepiezoelectric element; and a nozzle that communicates with the cavityand ejects a liquid in accordance with an increase/decrease of apressure inside the cavity, wherein: the core is a ferrite core, a coregap is defined between the core and the package, a number of turns ofthe coil around the core is based on the core gap such that as the coregap increases, the number of turns increases, and the coil has aresistance component that includes a core material loss and a wirematerial loss, and the resistance component of the coil is lower than200 mΩ at a 4 MHz operation.
 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the coil has a number of turns equal to or greaterthan three.
 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,wherein a frequency band of an AC component of the amplificationmodulation signal is equal to or higher than 1 MHz.
 4. The liquidejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a frequency band of anAC component of the amplification modulation signal is lower than 8 MHz.5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the corematerial loss is greater than the wire material loss in the coil duringa normal operation.
 6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim1, wherein the core is formed of a Mn—Zn-based ferrite.
 7. The liquidejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the core gap is equalto or wider than 1.1 mm.